Gazi Murat Şen, a board member of the Turkish Hotels Federation (TÜROFED), has said that the number of Chinese tourists to Turkey has increased significantly over the last three years and is expected to reach 300,000 in 2015. Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Şen said that the western city of Denizli is an important tourism center located between the coastal towns and the interior of the Aegean region and draws significant numbers of tourists including those from China. Şen said that each year the number of Chinese tourists traveling to Turkey shows a significant increase. Pointing to the city's tourism potential, Şen said that UNESCO World Heritage Site Pamukkale, the thermal waters, the 19 antique cities and the historic churches are the city's hot spots. "From thermal health to religious tourism and natural to historical beauties, Denizli has rich tourism potential also offering different sports activity areas like skiing and paragliding. We are now developing this potential and introducing the city as our contribution to our country's tourism sector," he said. In recent years, the number of Chinese tourist visiting Turkey has been increasing significantly, Şen went on to say. "In the last three years, a 50-percent increase has been seen in the number of Chinese tourists. In 2012, 112,000 Chinese tourists traveled to Turkey, increasing to 140,000 in 2013 and 200,000 in 2014. This year, I believe the number will reach around 300,000," he said. He added that Chinese tourists mostly prefer Pamukkale and Cappadocia.
Şen said that certain claims about recent events in Xinjiang are harming the tourism sector in Turkey. "Such claims must be examined and clarified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Most of what has been written about the incidents in China is wrong and news stations say that these are all groundless. We are responsible for showing Turkish people's hospitality toward all tourists visiting our country," he said. Many people across Turkey have been protesting against China's persecution of its minority Muslim Uighur community. The Uighur diaspora accuses China of a continuous campaign to restrain the religious and cultural activities of the Uighur community, which makes up almost half of the population in China's northwestern Xinjiang province. It is reported that some tourists had been attacked and harassed during protests. Moreover, tourists from the Far East have been harassed by protesters simply for having "slanted" eyes. Tourism professionals have expressed their concern called for the necessary precautions to be taken against protests and to protect tourists in order to avoid possible harm to Turkey's tourism industry.
